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> F OC US BY JO HN PAU L QU I N N
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N HIS 2011 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID, “WITH
MORE RESEARCH AND INCENTIVES, WE COULD BECOME THE FIRST COUNTRY
TO HAVE A MILLION ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON THE ROAD BY 2015.”
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“For 100 years, filling stations have been ubiquitous, and
drivers have been used to refueling virtually at will,” said John
Halliwell, senior project manager at the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI). “The EV requires drivers to think in an entirely
different way about how they’ll use their cars.”
Regardless of which car sales forecast one accepts, one fact
is clear: With gas at $4-plus per gallon, the EV market will
continue to grow, albeit at its own deliberate pace, and these
vehicles, by definition, need an infrastructure—places to plug
in and recharge. Enter the electrical contractor.
Getting charged up
The charging station apparatus for EVs is generically referred
to as electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). There are basically two types: Level 1 and Level 2, and there are two points of
installation: either the driver’s premises or a commercial space,
such as an office or metropolitan parking lot.
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Many people considered this goal to be somewhat ambitious. In fact, in 2011, automobile dealers only sold 18,000
electric vehicles (EVs), while conventional auto sales reached
13 million.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration may offer a
more realistic estimate of EV market growth. It projects sales
of 280,000 EVs between 2011 and 2015. Hybrid cars represent
just 2–3 percent of the automobiles on the road today, and pure
EVs don’t even account for 1 percent.
Two factors hinder the expansion of the market.
Sticker shock is the old problem because EVs are pricey,
luxury items. Two of the most popular models, the Chevy Volt
and the Nissan Leaf, go for $37,500 and $32,300, respectively.
In addition, EVs come with a built-in handicap: range anxiety. Many drivers are concerned about the possibility of running
out of power on the road en route to an unfamiliar destination
and not knowing where or if they can recharge.
UP
Revving up for
EVSE Business
Most EVs sold today already come with a Level 1 charger,
essentially a glorified extension cord that plugs into a standard
120-volt (V) receptacle in the owner’s garage or carport. The
limitation of this equipment is that it takes 10 hours to recharge
the car and will only charge up to 1,200–1,400 watts. New models being rolled out over the next two years will have power
levels for inboard charging of 6.6 kilowatts.
These EVs will require a Level 2 charging station, which
involves a hardwired 240V installation with a box that provides ground-fault protection and ensures the cable does
not energize until it is plugged into the vehicle and proper
signaling has been established. These charging stations will
be the most widely used whether in the owner’s garage or a
public space.
What does the electrical contractor need to know about
both levels of installation?
“Electrical contractors will probably be called on to install
Level 2 charging stations most often, but there are also issues with
Level 1 equipment that many homeowners may not be aware of
and with which contractors can be of valuable assistance,” said
Patrick Davis, vehicle technology program manager, the Department of Energy (DOE). “Level 1 should have a dedicated circuit,
not a multireceptacle circuit equipped with an inexpensive
general use wall socket
that wasn’t made for
repeated insertion, such
as in EV recharging.”
Rich Byczek, global
technical lead for EV and energy storage at Intertek, Glen Burnie, Md., an EV testing provider, stressed this cautionary note.
“This Level 1 recharging equipment is rated for continuous,
not intermittent, use as in the case of a washer or dryer,” he said.
“The electrical contractor has the opportunity to provide the
value-added service of advising the homeowner of the option of
installing a dedicated 120V branch circuit rather than upgrading the main service through the utility. In the case of Level 2,
both a dedicated 240V circuit and utility service upgrade may
be necessary.”
But Level 2 installation has emerged as the most lucrative
target of opportunity for electrical contractors.
“Level 2 work will be the major source of business for contractors because the car manufacturers are now advertising
their charging times in terms of 240V,” said Steve Rosenstock,
manager of energy solutions at the Edison Electric Institute
(EEI), Washington, D.C. “As they put in larger batteries, the
owner will have to go to 240V to achieve any reasonable charge
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GEARING UP
EVSE LINKLIST
Plugging in to the market
Electrical contractors interested in exploring
the possibilities of entering the EVSE market
should first acquaint themselves with the charger
products, many manufactured by suppliers they
have traditionally dealt with. Here are some:
• AeroVironment www.avinc.com
• Clipper Creek www.ClipperCreek.com
• Coulomb Technologies www.chargepoint.com
• Eaton Corp. www.eaton.com/plugin
• ECOtality www.ECOtality.com
• GE WattStation www.ecomagination.com/showcase/
ge-wattstation
• Leviton www.leviton.com
• Schneider Electric www.schneider-electric.us/
sites/us/en/solutions/energy-efficiency/
electric-vehicles/electric-vehicles.page
• Siemens www.siemens.com
• SPX Corp. www.evse.spx.com
These links may also be helpful:
• DOE www.theevproject.com
• Edison Electric Institute www.eei.org
• Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program
www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/toolbox/pdfs/electric_
vehicle_infrastructure_training.pdf
• NEMA Electrical Vehicle Supply Equipment/Systems Section
www.evseready.org
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association
www.nema.org/Products/Pages/Electric-Vehicle-SupplyEquipment-System.aspx
Contractors should also contact the local utility in their service
area for information concerning permitting and time-of-use
discount pricing.
—J.P.Q.
time. Even so, depending on the type of car bought and the size
of the battery, Level 1 will still be a viable option. It all depends
on the individual customer’s usage patterns.”
And there are other considerations concerning public space
installations that the contractor should be cognizant of.
“Any electrical contractor can install a Level 2 charger
and run the wiring for 240V service, but there are possible
complications,” the DOE’s Davis said. “Most contractors will
know the permitting issues that apply in the area. This is
important because they vary from one jurisdiction to another,
and it’s even more involved for multiple installations at businesses or workplaces. They have to be American Disability
Act-compliant. Also to be considered is the need for guards to
prevent vehicles from hitting the chargers and whether there
are demand issues in case of simultaneous use, which would
likely require networking the chargers to avoid excessive peakpower charges.”
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Once electrical contractors understand what they need to know
about the technology and the market, how do they get in?
“Our original thinking was that we would target the cities, counties and agencies we normally work with,” said Brett
Beard, vice president of Beard Electric, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
“But our experience has gone in a different direction, working
as a service contractor with SPX Corp., an engineered products
manufacturer whose line includes EVSE.
“We have installed 240V residential chargers and also
worked with utility companies to install separate time-of-use
metering for their customers, which allow them to charge their
EVs off-peak at discounted rates,” Beard said.
Beard noted that the company used training programs from
the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP),
designed specifically for electrical contractors.
Tom Hedges, president of Hedges Electric in San Diego, has
not only hands-on experience with the EVSE market but has
also served on the National Electrical Code’s Panel 12, which
focuses on specifications for this equipment.
“This business can be profitable, and it isn’t rocket science
by any stretch,” he said. “If a residential customer needs a panel
upgrade, that’s about $2,000, and there are DOE subsidies available to the EV owner. So it’s a win-win situation.”
Coming down the turnpike
While the EV market continues to grow, contractors should
understand that it is not going to result in exponential expansion overnight.
“This market depends on consumer attitudes, gas prices and
a whole list of uncontrollable variables,” said Gregg Steeb, field
support manager for Prime Electric, Bellevue, Wash. “But EVSE
projects continue to gain strength, and car manufacturers are producing more EVs than ever and improving upon them. Contractors
should do their homework to understand this market and be in a
position to take advantage of the opportunity it offers.”
And realistically speaking, the homework won’t be easy.
“When you do the research, anticipate a steep learning
curve,” Beard said. “The permitting process continues to create surprises and delays in ramping up for actual installations
and then dealing with the many entities that crop up. But even
so, the ongoing development of the EV plug-in infrastructure,
an industry still in its infancy, is already providing revenues for
the electrical industry.”
Q UI N N reports on a broad range of business and industry issues
for journals in the United States and Europe. He can be reached at
203.323.9850 and [email protected].
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